Philip dried Ian and himself with a towel and said to Riche,

“Miss, go to sleep first. I’ll take the young lord Gerwerwer to his room and come back.”

“Yes, Philip. Be careful.”

“Yes. Don’t worry and go to sleep.”

He had confidently carried Ian to the men’s dormitory building, but—.

“……I don’t know this young lord’s room.”

Philip scratched his cheek.

So, he opted for a Plan B.

“……Why did you break into someone’s room through the window in the middle of the night?”

Midnight.

Robenhaf, awakened by the commotion in the living room, looked at the intruder who his servant was holding at swordpoint.

“Huh? Philip?”

“Ha ha, Lord Robenhaf. Hello?”

A note of irritation was evident in Robenhaf’s smiling face.

Philip briefly explained the reason he had come looking for Robenhaf, not knowing Iandwein’s room.

“So? If it’s like that, why don’t you go to your own young lord, Derkedion?”

“Lord Robenhaf, well. I value my life too, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Who knows what could happen if we woke up Lord Deon?”

“Do you think I’m easygoing?”

Robenhaf’s eyes narrowed.

Ah, right. That young lord was a Hivetzuman. Noble pride is something else.

“No, no. Honestly, I doubted Lord Deon would even know this young lord’s room. I thought you, Lord Robenhaf, would know, so I came.”

Philip’s explanation sounded plausible. Derkedion would have just told him to go away.

‘Hmm, Iandwein Gerwerwer…’

Riche seemed interested, but Robenhaf didn’t feel like helping much.

Still, those soaked clothes bothered him.

‘What to do?’

Robenhaf made his decision.

He wasn’t the sacrificial type to give up his sleep to help Iandwein.

“I don’t know. Take him and go back. Philip.”

Robenhaf yawned and turned to go back to his room connected to the living room.

Philip’s following words stopped him.

“……You do know I’m Miss Riche’s only servant, right?”

Stop.

“A servant knows the Miss’s schedule and spends a lot of time serving her……”

“……”

Flutter flutter.

Robenhaf showed interest in the bait dangling in front of him.

Philip nonchalantly let the words flow toward Robenhaf, who was stealthily looking his way.

“I report to the governor once a week, you know…”

“Leave Iandwein and go. Philip.”

“But at this hour, I wouldn’t want to be rude to you, sir…”

“I’ll handle it. Just bring him to the room.”
Robenhaf looked at Philip, who was acting smug, with a teasing gaze.

He said to Philip, “What comes around, goes around.”

“Instead.”

“Yes.”

“Tell Liche well and…”

He started as if it were trivial but gradually lowered his voice.

Philip looked at the red tips of Robenhaf’s ears.

Lord Robenhaf is also a romantic.

‘How far does our young lady’s charm reach…’

Although the young lady Liche herself didn’t know her own charm, it was amusing to watch from the side.

With a face that asked if there would be a problem, Philip nodded.

“I will convey your words well.”

An attendant of Robenhaf, burdened with some task, glanced at Philip jumping out the window.

Afterward, Ian donned a new set of pajamas from Robenhaf while asleep, and was lifted by the attendant onto his own bed.

“Iandwain!”

Ian heeded the resounding voice in his head.

‘Who is it?’

Who is calling him with such a desperate voice?

“You mustn’t die!”

The voice came again.

Ian realized that this voice existed in his memories.

‘…Is it you?’

It was that child. The one in the mirror.

Are you beside me now? He wanted to open his eyes and check.

He wanted to assure that he wouldn’t die.

But cruelly, his body did not obey.

His eyelids were too heavy to lift, and his limp body could muster no strength. Father has finally killed me.

“If you need help, contact me.”

Why now does the words of Duke Rodwick come to mind? He never intended to seek help from him.

“Cough.”

With a cough, his senses returned.

Beneath slightly lifted eyelids, the unfocused black pupils caught the reflection of a silver moon.

‘Is it really you?’

But his quivering lips could not bring themselves to speak.

‘I understand.’

Ian realized why Duke Rodwick’s words had come to mind.

That he had started to regret his life.

It was because he began to hear that girl’s voice again.

Ian lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, he was on his bed in his own room.

“…”

As soon as Ian woke up, he checked his condition.

Because he wanted to confirm whether what happened last night was true.

But contrary to his memory of falling into water, there was not a single wet trace. The bedding was dry.

Everything was as it had been the night before when he had gone to bed.

‘The clothes… are different.’

Then he realized that the clothes he was wearing were different from yesterday’s.

It was not a dream. Falling into the water last night was real.

Seeing that child was also real.

‘I’m in the Academy.’

Ian clutched his chest, feeling his heart pound.

“Club?”

An empty classroom.

On the way to the dormitory after class had ended, he was suddenly dragged here.

Liche looked at Robenhaf sitting in front of her, grinning brightly.